Chapter 52: Chapter 52

I hurry through the crowd of people standing outside and once I reach inside, I make my way through the crowd of guest assembled there. I begin to look at every possible gathering in the hall, but not finding Rory in any of them.

Maybe he's going to meet with Paris and help explain things to her.

I try to tell myself, but the idea seems to make my heart tighten within my chest and so I shake it off. I bring out my phone and dial Rory's number again, but just like before he goes into voicemail.

I spot Keenan standing afar off keeping himself occupied by a young, pretty brunette and I hurry up to him. I pull off my shoe and hold them in my hands instead to help me walk faster to him. I tap on his shoulder and he turns around from the lady to me.

His eyes scan my hand holding my shoe and I roll my eyes.

"Taylor?!" He gives me a guilty look, before covering up with a blank expression. "It's not what you think..." I give him a serious look. "It is, but... The thing is... Damn! I haven't had sex in one week, and I was just seeing how things would go from here. Okay call me selfish for not caring for my best friend, but I have a need that desperately needs to be met or I'm gonna explode." He takes a long deep breath after having said so much.

"I didn't have to know that."

"I know I just didn't think it was appropriate to lie to you, I... Just need..." He swallows quickly before his eyes shudder close. "A relieve."

"Breath, Keenan, I'm not interested in your private life 'cause that's inappropriate," I tell him, placing my hand reassuringly on his shoulder. He nods and does that and after two deep intakes, I say. "Rory's here."

He peels one eye open to take a quick peek at me and then his thin lips press together in an attempt to suppress laughter. "Pulling my leg yes?" I give him a dead serious look and the laughter disappears from his lips.

He clear his throat, "Where?"

"Somewhere." I awkwardly reply, a little clueless.

"How do you know that?"

Because my best friend saw and told me he is here? "I kinda saw him," I reply with the most acceptable answer.

"Where?"

"Does it matter?!" I snap a little frustrated that I didn't ask Mycole that before taking off. "He's here and you're gonna help me find him," I order, taking him by his arm and leading him away from the brunette.

"But... I have."

"Needs." I complete, still not letting go of my tight grip around his arm. "I know and so do I."

We hurry through the crowd into the silent hallway which leads to different rooms and we split up to search through quicker. After searching through the sixth room and no not finding Rory, I am exhausted and a little bit as I walk back to the hall I see someone stalling in the dark a little far off and I walk closer to where the figure in question is standing.

As I get closer, I notice that the person share a presence I find familiar and I increase my pace to where he is. But as I walk closer, he turns and begins to walk away. I take to my heel and chase after him into a dark alley where he walks. At first, I'm not sure if I want to go in, but I brush the feeling away when I realise that they are securities around if anything is to go wrong.

He walks, more of staggers through the path and as I run faster to catch up with him another man in uniforms I guess is the security man stops the stranger and begins to interrogate him.

"How did you get in here?" The guard asks coldly and the stranger stays silent. "You're drunk! How about you spend the night behind bars for trespassing, eh?"

The guard makes an annoyed grunt when the stranger refuses to say anything. "Give me your hand." The security orders harshly and the stranger offers his hands, still silent.

"He's with me," I speak when he almost have them handcuffed.

The security turns from the stranger to face me. He gives me a suspicious eye, but I stand my ground with a straight unapologetic look.

"Why did he let him drink so much?" He finally asks, sounding cold but, less harsh.

"He's got a lot on his mind. I don't think there was anything I could have done to stop that."

"Taking him home would have help." Suggests the man.

I smile warmly at him. "He doesn't have one."

He sighs, casting a pitiful eye at the drunk stranger and then back to me. "I can tell he's got a lot piled up in his heart 'cause guys like these don't drink for nothing."

"I know." I give him a small nod and a grateful smile and he walks away, leaving us all alone in the dark alley.

The silence that dawn on us is worse than one that exists even in the graveyard as the only noise around the small breeze blowing around and the breath leaving both out lungs.

"Rory I-." I begin to say, but I hold my breath when he turns around and I get a full drink of the man standing just a little afar from me.

His green eyes dull and heartbreaking. Unlike the guest or attendees of the party he's wearing a casual black T-shirt and black trousers and although looking underdressed for the party he looks perfect to me.

"You know the phrase drink away your problem is just another lame excuse for alcoholics to keep drinking because the truth is you don't drink away your problem, you drink on your problem 'cause it never goes, it's still there."

"You've are drunk," I say finally taking the words of the security into much consideration.

"No." He hisses, groggily. "I just mistook whiskey for water and so far I've had 7 bottles." He slur, a bewildering and naughty look on his face.

"We were all worried," I tell him, finally finding the strength to move closer to him.

"Were you worried too?" He asks with expectancy, his eyes fixed in concentration as if trying to read the answer from them.

I was not worried, I was WORRIED!

"Tay..l..l..oorr. Tell me." He sings sweetly and my mouth ajar at how perfect his voice still is even while he's drunk. "Common love, tell me." He takes a couple of staggering steps, and stumbles off and almost falling. I reach out to him and hold on to him.

"Let's get you out of here." I take his hand and wrap it around my shoulder and my arms go around his slender hips and he leans against me, almost crushing all the strength in me.

"Where are we going?" Curiosity tint in his deep, drunk voice and for a weird reason this sends unwanted reactions down south.

"Inside," I say, pulling him along.

"I don't want.." he whines bitterly like a baby asked to take bitter medicine.

"We need to have you changed and ready for your engagement," I explain.

"I don't want to get engaged." He snaps, pretty pissed off at the word. Pain gripped my heart at the torture he must be going through, how alone he must feel in all this time. Surely there are a lot of things that made him drink this much and I might be one of them.

I bring him into a room and turn on the light. I look around looking for a place to drop this heavy man that is leaning heavily on me. I spot an armless sofa at a corner and I pull him along to the sofa. We reach and I let him go hoping he'll sit on it and when he does, I pull off his shoes and move back for fear of myself.

"Why's there so much noise?"

"Because it's your engagement party. Don't you know that?"

He must have, that the reason he's here Taylor.

"I do."

"Then why are you drunk?"

"Because I want to be." He grumbles stubbornly, closing his eyes.

"Typical."

He shoots me a glare before his eyes examine me sequentially, like some wild untameable object. He glances at me from head to toe and the hunger and frustration I know he's feeling grows. "This is the worse night of my life and I feel horrible, lost..." He laments painfully. "But look you." He gestures to my outward appearance with his eyes. "You don't look bad." Although his words are all shortened, I can understand the pain and weight it bears, but if he isn't so drunk, maybe he would have seen how terrible I feel inside.

"You're mad at me?"

"No, darling! Mad doesn't come close to what it is I feel." He snarls, too drunk to have the impact he intend it to have with his words.

I cross my arms over my chest. "Well that makes the two of us, 'cause I'm mad all you too."

"That's expected!" He snorts harshly. "You're always mad at me."

"Because you give me reasons to!" I exclaim loudly. "You hurt me the last time we talked and you know it."

"I apologized." He defensively says.

"Sometimes sorry is not the right apology."

"Then what is?"

I chew on my bottom lips to keep my mouth shut and not spill the wrong words.

"Stay here, I'll go call Josh."

"Stay. With me." He groans deeply and I almost concur to my own need to be with him, but shaking my head I say.

"Why? To argue with me more? You're drunk, you don't know what you want."

He chuckles silently and struggles to sit up. "Yes. You're right, I'm drunk reeeaaalllly drunk, but I can't lie now, so what I tell you is the honest truth."

That makes me stop on my track and look at him with knit interest.

"You here for your engagement aren't you?" My brow furrow together.

"No, I'm not! I'm here because you told me to figure out what it was I wanted and then go after it and as it is, I want you, more. More than I've wanted anyone in my life. I don't know if I can survive without you and I'm sorry I've been holding back and pushing you away because of my fear. I now know what it is I want and it's not Ginger or Paris, but you."